All Blacks to savour a sold-out San Siro

New Zealand captain Rodney So’oialo says his team are keen to make the most of
their match against Italy on Saturday by soaking up the San Siro atmosphere
in Milan.

Crowd control: New Zealand are looking forward to the San Siro atmosphersPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

By Chris Barnett

7:00AM GMT 14 Nov 2009

A record crowd of more than 80,000 is expected for the game at the stadium normally shared by football teams AC Milan and Inter Milan.

For many players who take to the field, this will be the first and possibly only time they play in front of so many people.

Making the most of that atmosphere will be high on the visiting players’ list of priorities, while for others it will be special as three New Zealanders are making their Test debuts.

“There’s a little bit of a different motivation going on there, three guys are playing their first cap and that’s a very important thing not only for themselves but for their families,” stand-in captain So’oialo said.

“For anyone that makes the All Blacks it’s a big deal and something that you should be proud of and I think they’re really excited about their big challenge against Italy.

“They’re just happy to go out there and give their all. For the other guys, being in a stadium like this, it’s absolutely beautiful and you’ve got to take that opportunity and soak it all in and go out there and give it your all.

“We want to go out there and play the best rugby we can. We try to do that week in, week out but playing in front of 80,000 people, that will be a real pinnacle for us to go out there and really put our foot down and play as well as we can.”

Fly-half Mike Delany, outside centre Tamati Ellison and winger Ben Smith will all be making their debuts in the famous black jersey while five other players have just 15 caps between them.

But So’oialo said the new boys had been acquitting themselves well.

“I’ve been really proud of the way that they worked, it’s obviously different to what they’re used to in the Super 14,” he added.

“At international level you’ve obviously got to do more homework than usual but I think they’re going to enjoy it more than normal. I doubt they’ll be nervous, I think they’ll play really well.

“You see some nerves through the week but then you see their eyes and the passion that’s going right through their faces. I’m really looking forward to seeing them play.”

And while on the pitch the captain will be treating this game like any other, off it he has managed to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition – on Thursday night, he and some team-mates went to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper at the Santa Maria delle Grazie church in the city.

“The preparation is still the same and the mindset of the boys is still the same, we’re here to do a job and the boys are really focused on doing that,” So’oialo said.

“The only difference is that we’re in a really nice city and there’s lots of historical things around that fortunately we’ve had some time off to go and see.

“I think [seeing the Last Supper] is a highlight since I’ve been growing up, seeing the picture I’m just really humbled to get that opportunity. I just never thought I’d see it so to get that opportunity this week, I wasn’t going to decline that, so obviously it’s a great honour to be able to see it.”